Watch: When Anthony Joshua Dug Deep to Overcome Dillian Whyte
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The first clash between Anthony Joshua and Dilian Whyte took place at London’s O2 Arena on the 12th of December 2015. It saw Anthony Joshua go further than he had ever gone in a single bout since turning professional. The bout also established Dillian Whyte as a name to watch out for in the heavyweight division.
Whyte headed into the bout on the back of eleven straight wins by knockout. Joshua meanwhile had never gone beyond the third round in 14 previous fights. He was undefeated and had 14 knockouts to his name.
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Both pugilists were used to winning early and in dominating fashion. However, that was not to be the case in London. The bout went to the 7th of 12 rounds. The commentator told us not to adjust our television sets as the round 7 flashed on the screen. Anthony Joshua doesn’t work 7 rounds, but on the night of 12th December, he did so and earned his win. He was taken further than any other boxer had ever taken him. Dillian Whyte was the man who did it and he announced himself as a serious heavyweight contender in his maiden title bout.
Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte
Anthony Joshua had been defeated by Whyte as an amateur. He would have been set for revenge. Joshua had white on the backfoot within half a minute. Whyte entered survival mode and attempted haymakers, unfortunately for him, he missed but just about did enough to ease the pressure on himself.
The first round offered us a glimpse into how heated things were with Joshua take a shot at Whyte after the bell. This led to a lot of officials rushing into the squared circle to restore order. They said that there was bad blood around this one. And indeed there was.
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Round 2 saw Whyte keep Joshua on the backfoot and thus attempt to nullify the base he had to launch powerful punches whilst on the front foot. The round 1 positions were reversed now with Joshua being on the ropes, however, unlike Whyte, Joshua managed to land his shots and escape. This perhaps led Joshua to be a tad tentative in the next round. The commentators explicitly remarked that Whyte was initiating and Joshua was being defensive. It certainly looked as though Joshua seemed intent in going for the big finish and was not wanting to be drawn forwards unless he had an opening.
Whyte had the mental edge. However, he was fatigued and there as a notable drop off in his boxing from the second round. He only did enough to ensure Joshua didn’t seize the advantage. This worked too as Whyte was standing after absorbing shots that Joshua had used to end many bouts in his career. There was a notable smirk on Whyte’s face after being struck by a right hand in the 5th round.
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Joshua overcomes Whyte in a hard-fought win
Whyte was putting in a good show, but it could be seen that he was tired, Maybe that smile was a bit of a tactic on his part to infuriate Joshua and cause him to go for broke, thus providing Whyte an opening. Joshua came out and attempted to end it yet again, however, Whyte continued soaking it all up. In the 7th round, Whyte seemed to have reached the end of his resources. He got tagged by an almighty right. He did try to fight back but ultimately hit the canvas for his first and to date only loss as a professional.
Both boxers were tested mentally. It was a kind of welcome to the sport for them. They brought out the best in each other. And Joshua earned this win as he had to dig deep and overcome Whyte who had announced himself as a name in the division.
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The second edition of this bout is one everyone has been clamoring for. And when it does happen, it will be massive.
Read: Dillian Whyte explains how he can motivate Anthony Joshua